Avenger Experience?

[Dan'L]

Anyone who's actually played an avenger, how often does their extra damage feature actually trigger in play?

Just curious how this plays out.

Thanks

Finally got to playtest my new level 4 Avenger character. I went with essentially an Isolating Avenger build with 18 Wis & 18 Int at 4th level. Random observances/notes:

- Quick answer to your question: In 3 combats, it didn't come up even once, but it didn't matter one bit and I didn't care.

- Slightly longer answer: I'd really rather I didn't get hit in the first place, though if I did then the extra damage to my oath target would be gravy. I'm presently using a bloodclaw +1 longsword, usually 2-handed, so if I activate it's ability I'm getting 1d8+9 damage with a +10 to hit on at-wills and basic attacks, and almost never missing. So another +4 damage would be great, but not altogether necessary.

- Rolling 2d20, take the better, for practically every attack is, as previously reported, quite the awesomtacular. The DM got quite sick of hearing the multiple dice hitting the table

- It's kind of like an anti-sticky defender. I particularly enjoyed smacking my oath target with Avenging Echo, shifting into the middle of a crowd, and watching them scatter because they didn't want to feel the radiant burn by attacking me or ending up next to me.

- Similarly, lighting up my OoE target with Halo of Fire and watching as all his friends abandon him is pure joy. This, along with Bond of Retribution, really bring home a feeling that if you're targeted by an Avenger, your friends can't help you.

- It really feels like you're running around the battlefield like a madman while your enemies flee in terror. It doesn't get much better than that!

- I never even had to touch my daily or utility (also a daily). I suspect, though, that this will change in future sessions as the DM ratchets up the difficulty of the encounters.

I had lots of fun with it, and look forward to future sessions.

-Dan'L

 

[Iron Sky]

I played a level 4 Avenger twice in the last week as we're running through Scales of War; an Elven Pursuit Avenger with a Lifedrinker Fullblade (we have no tank so went a bit more defense vs offense). Feats: Fullblade, Leather Armor, Melee Training(Wisdom). The last feat was essentially wasted since, in 6 fights my Avenger made a total of 1, maybe 2 melee basic attacks.

Other party members were: Gnome dragon Sorcerer, Human melee Cleric, Dwarven wrath Invoker(2nd session only).

In this group, the battle cleric and I were the defenders, me recklessly charging in at the start of each fight, taking a bunch of damage as everything mobbed me, then using Sequestering Strike to pull whatever I engaged - usually the biggest baddie - away so I could 1v1 him. Then the cleric took over tanking until I'd dispatched my target and moved back in.

Day 1 I ended with 1 healing surge left out of 9, though a skill challenge ate 3 of those. The next lowest member had about 4 surges. Day 2, we've gone through 3 encounters and I'm already down to 3/9 surges and the next lowest still has 4.

My damage was a bit lower than the Sorcerer, and he was sitting 10 squares away most of the time tossing a +10 vs Ref, 1d10+8 damage Acid Orb at things while I was getting pounded to heck up in (or behind) the front lines with my x2 +11 vs AC, 1d12+6 attack. I was essentially the primary tank though (a role this Avenger quite a bit better at than my Ranger was), so I'm not sure how different it would be if we had a dedicated defender. My Censure kicked in once or twice the first session, never in the second session.

I usually missed about one attack per encounter, and did so even with elven accuracy, though some of them were implement attacks, so no Oath. Twice, elven accuracy turned a miss with an encounter power into a crit.

Sequestering Strike (2[W], teleport you + enemy 1 + Dex sqaures) was pretty fun and Angelic Alacrity (shift 1+ Dex, 2[W]) was sometimes useful, but looking through Avenger powers, the Isolating powers that Dan'L talked about seem more useful in general, since they usually have some effect that goes on for a round and interferes with the enemies in general.

The Pursuit Avenger felt kinda like a ranger with a different shtick to me. I think the Isolating is definitely more flavorful and better at disrupting the DM's monster management. I'll play this one for a few levels, but then might switch to an Isolating Deva.

From a party perspective, a TWF ranger would probably be more useful to the group than my Pursuit Avenger. If anyone's looking at picking up an Avenger, so far, I'd recommend and Isolating over Pursuit, though after I've played a few more sessions with my Avenger, I'll report back.

 

[Mr. Teapot]

I played a level 2 Kobold Pursuit Avenger through the Fool's Grove, and he worked very well.

The Censure power isn't so much an extra damage feature comparable to the rogue's Sneak Attack. It is, rather, a controlling function: You give the enemy a bad choice between being where you want them (which you control via an at-will that slides the enemy around the battlefield) or taking extra damage.

Your extra damage comes from never hitting (and possibly extra critting... I only critted once, while weakened). I didn't miss with any attacks, which meant I consistently dealt out good damage (spent a feat on Waraxe proficiency, so I wasn't too far behind a medium character).



Kobold as a race didn't work as well as planned. The first two fights were in wide open spaces, so I didn't need to double shift to get Oath of Enmity, and I always had something better to do with a minor action. The third fight was cramped, and I would have had trouble getting the Oath rerolls, except it was late in the evening and I forgot about the "no adjacent enemies" stipulation to the rules. Maybe that's where Kobold would have helped. But I still would have been better off with a Medium sized race. If I had had a bonus to Wisdom, my Dex would have actually been higher, due to how pointbut works (buying an 18 costs a bunch).

 

[lukelightning]

Vorpal Glaive is where it's at. 25% chance of rolling maximum result for each d4 is awesome.

Nah, you want vorpal pizza cutters. They do d1 damage so you are guaranteed to roll max damage with them.

 

[Klaus]

Nah, you want vorpal pizza cutters. They do d1 damage so you are guaranteed to roll max damage with them.

Now THAT is true powergame thinking! 4e D&D finally meets its Pun-Pun: a vorpal weapon with a base damage of d1 will deal infinite damage to any creature it hits.

I salute you!